Application of Global Positioning System (GPS) for glacier studies at schirmacher oasis, East Antarctica

Abstract

To give insight into the mass balance and future behaviour of the Schirmacher Glacier (Central Dronning Maud Land, Antarctica), two GPS campaigns were made during the summer season during 2003 and 2004. GPS data were collected at 21 sites and have been analyzed to estimate the site co-ordinates, baselines and velocities in ITRF2000. All the GPS points in the glacier have been constrained with the base station established at the Indian Antarctic Research Station MAITRI and the nearby IGS stations VESL and SYOG. Displacement measurements were made from the GPS sites in Schirmacher glacier, which is parallel to the Schirmacher Oasis. The velocity of the sites is found to he between 1.89 ± 0.007 - 10.88 ± 0.009 m yr] in NNE direction and the average velocity of the ice stream over the study region is 6.21 ± 0.007 m yri. The site velocity distribution is spatially correlated to the surface undulation gradients, crevasses, and blockage of Schirmacher Oasis. In this paper, we report the glacier velocity field derived from GPS and dynamic nature of the Schirmacher Glacier.